


The Grey Area

by airamcg



Series: Diliman U [3]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Ambiguous Relationships, F/F, Gen, Sickfic (sort of), Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-06
Updated: 2016-07-06
Packaged: 2018-07-13 01:30:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7132628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/airamcg/pseuds/airamcg
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dysmenorrhea sucks!</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Grey Area

Amethyst woke up to loud moaning synched with the wobbling of her bunk. Under normal circumstances, she would have thought some couple was doing the deed in the bed below her. That would have been hilarious and awkward; it was the weekend after all, and college was prime time for sexy experimentation. The noises seemed to come from only one person, however, and Pearl was the last person who would have sex while Amethyst obliviously slept on in the same room. It was too noon-ish for sex anyway, Amethyst decided after a glance at her phone. She covered her ears with a pillow as the groaning escalated until she couldn’t take it any longer.

“Are you dying down there?” Amethyst groused, peering upside down until the upper half of her body was hanging off the bunk rail. Her bleached blonde hair spilled down, its tips brushing against her roommate’s cheek. 

“Probably,” Pearl grumbled, swatting the hair away. She rolled to her side and curled in on herself around one of her oversized pillows. She looked miserable, which was nothing like how she seemed the night before. Concern jolted Amethyst to full wakefulness. She vaulted the rest of her body over the railing, flipping over until her feet landed on the floor. 

“What’s wrong, P?” Amethyst ducked under the top bunk, leaning into Pearl’s space for a closer look. “You look like absolute shit. Got sick in your sleep or something?” 

Pearl mumbled unintelligibly into her pillow. 

“What was that?”

This time, she pulled away just enough to rasp out, “Dysmenorrhea.”

“Oh.”  _ Oh, yeah, that would suck _ , thought Amethyst. She often got cramps during that time of the month herself, so she could sympathize with Pearl’s pain. But there were also some things one couldn’t help knowing about longtime roommates: she knew Pearl never got the cramps, which only made her worry even more. “D’you need anything? Ibuprofen? Tea? Cuddles? I could even tell Vidalia I won’t make it to karaoke later if you want me to stay.”

“No, no, ‘mfine,” Pearl said through her pillow. “Just need sleep.”

“Okay.” 

But Amethyst lingered a bit longer, checking if Pearl seemed paler than usual or any other signs that something was wrong. If there was, the infirmary building was only a block away, and while Pearl was a head taller, her build was lithe enough that Amethyst could probably manage carrying her on piggyback if necessary. Those long, noodly limbs however...

While Amethyst weighed her options, Pearl must have sensed the hovering because she suddenly threw a large pillow ( _ just how many does she have? _ ) at Amethyst’s face without even looking. “Stop that, Ame. I’ll be fine. Seriously, go have fun at Vidalia’s.” 

“Ahahaha, alrighty-mighty!” Amethyst laughed. Pearl was right; she was worrying too much about nothing. She ducked out of Pearl’s space and then grabbed her bath towel and toiletries. When she reached the door, she paused, turning around to ask Pearl one last thing: “You’ll text if you need anything, all right? Anything at all, okay? Okay?”

Another thrown pillow to the face was the only reply.

**Author's Note:**

> I haven’t written anything in months (stupid writer's block), so I'm really sorry if this reads too stilted. Hopefully the next chapter will flow smoother. Also, it's definitely longer.
> 
> I started writing this during the peak of my suffering. I almost never get cramps, but when I do.... well, let's just say there's a reason why I write about my pain. 
> 
> Anyway, I'd love to hear what you think about this story so far! Feedback helps me improve and keep motivated, so please leave a comment if it's not too much trouble. Thanks very much!


End file.
